Lockdown Protocol

# Lockdown Protocol with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + AMD Radeon RX 6600

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Lockdown Protocol, with the data showing a clear transition from GPU-bound at 4K to a more balanced workload at 1080p. Across the twelve measured configurations, the system averages range from a low of 32 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 146 FPS at 1080p Low, placing this combo at rank 2213 out of 2828 tested combinations. The following analysis breaks down how resolution, settings, and component characteristics shape these results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, indicating that the Radeon RX 6600 becomes the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 90 FPS at 1920x1080 to 66 FPS at 2560x1440, a 26.7% reduction, and then further to 43 FPS at 3840x2160, which represents a 34.8% drop from the 1440p result. This progression shows that each step up in resolution exacts a substantial toll, with the 1080p-to-4K transition alone cutting performance by more than half.

The scaling pattern across all settings reinforces this GPU-bound interpretation. At Low settings, the system produces 146 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. The relative drops between consecutive resolutions are 26.7% and 35.5% respectively, which is consistent with a graphics card struggling to maintain fill rate and memory bandwidth as pixel count grows. The 4K Low result of 69 FPS is actually lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 68 FPS, suggesting that resolution has a more pronounced impact on this GPU than graphical complexity does.

At Medium settings, the measured averages are 103 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K, with the 4K configuration also showing a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS. The spread between minimum and maximum at 4K Medium is 14 FPS, which indicates noticeable frame-time variance under heavy load. The 1440p Medium result of 76 FPS with a 64-87 FPS range shows better consistency, while 1080p Medium delivers 103 FPS with an 88-119 FPS range.

Ultra settings produce the most demanding workload, with averages of 68 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the 1440p Ultra average of 50 FPS is marginal for a fast-paced FPS title. The data indicates that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then the 69 FPS average provides limited headroom for demanding scenes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, is the dominant factor in these benchmark results. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, paired with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key constraint at higher resolutions, where the combination of pixel throughput and texture data demands can exceed what the 8 GB frame buffer comfortably handles.

The GPU's compute resources include 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s provide context for the observed scaling: at 4K, the system must process roughly four times the pixels of 1080p, and the measured FPS drops align with these throughput limitations. The FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS places this GPU in the mid-range segment, which explains why 4K Ultra at 32 FPS is the worst-case scenario in this dataset.

The RX 6600's 7 nm process node from TSMC, with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, contributes to its 132 W TDP. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is sufficient for this workload, and the DirectX 12 Ultimate support with version 12_2 ensures compatibility with modern rendering features. The GPU's benchmark scores show a Passmark G3D result of 15096 and a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 51, the latter being notably low and suggesting that the card's performance in this specific API may not fully reflect its overall capabilities.

In terms of comparative standing, the RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 places it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 with a score of 19030 and a delta of 0%, followed by the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19049 with a -0.1% delta, and the Tesla K20m at 19089 with a -0.3% delta. The RTX 2000 Ada Generation trails slightly at 18954 with a 0.4% delta in favor of the RX 6600. This tight grouping indicates that the RX 6600 sits in a well-populated performance tier.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 146 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best results are 107 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 103 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the RX 6600 and Core Ultra 5 225?

A: At 4K, only Low settings produce a playable average of 69 FPS. Medium settings drop to 49 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, High settings yield 43 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 32 FPS, which is below acceptable levels for an FPS title.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, placing it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945 with a 0% delta, while the Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 with a -0.2% delta, and the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 with a -0.4% delta.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 1440p Medium?

A: The 2560x1440 Medium configuration shows an average of 76 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. This 23 FPS spread between minimum and maximum indicates moderate frame-time variance but remains within a playable range.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM capacity limit performance at any resolution?

A: The data shows that 4K Ultra drops to 32 FPS, and the steep scaling from 1440p to 4K across all settings suggests memory bandwidth and capacity constraints. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB frame buffer are likely contributing factors to the 35% performance drop between 1440p and 4K at Low settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 2213 out of 2828 total tested combos in Lockdown Protocol. This places it in the lower half of the distribution, reflecting the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than any CPU limitation.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends heavily on target resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS, which provides a smooth experience while maintaining moderate graphical fidelity. High settings at 1080p reduce the average to 90 FPS, still playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes, while Ultra drops to 68 FPS, which may introduce perceptible stutter in fast-paced action.

For 2560x1440, Medium settings at 76 FPS represent the best compromise, with the 64 FPS minimum keeping frame times acceptable for most players. High settings at 1440p yield 66 FPS, which is borderline but workable, while Ultra at 50 FPS is likely too inconsistent for competitive play. Low settings at 1440p produce 107 FPS, which is the smoothest option if visual quality is not a priority.

At 3840x2160, the only viable option is Low settings, which produce 69 FPS. Medium settings at 4K drop to 49 FPS with a 42 FPS minimum, and both High and Ultra at 43 FPS and 32 FPS respectively fall below acceptable thresholds. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is only feasible with significant visual compromises, and users seeking higher fidelity should consider 1440p as their primary resolution.

The frame time data further supports these recommendations. The 1080p Medium configuration shows an 88-119 FPS range, which is a tight envelope of 31 FPS, indicating consistent performance. The 1440p Medium range of 64-87 FPS spans 23 FPS, slightly tighter in absolute terms but with a lower average. The 4K Medium range of 42-56 FPS spans only 14 FPS, showing that while the average is low, the frame pacing is relatively stable at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 146 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings achieve 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, providing a solid baseline for high-refresh-rate displays. High settings reduce the average to 90 FPS, while Ultra settings drop further to 68 FPS, which is the lowest 1080p result but still within a playable range for many users.

The 2560x1440 results show a clear step down from 1080p. Low settings maintain an average of 107 FPS, which is surprisingly close to the 1080p Medium result, indicating that the GPU can handle the additional pixel load when graphical complexity is minimal. Medium settings at 1440p produce 76 FPS with a 64-87 FPS range, High settings yield 66 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 50 FPS. The pattern across these four settings shows a consistent 14-15 FPS drop between each successive quality tier, suggesting that both resolution and settings contribute equally to the performance curve.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 69 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 49 FPS with a 42-56 FPS range, High settings fall to 43 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 32 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 37 FPS difference, which is a larger absolute spread than at lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU's resource limits become more pronounced as pixel count increases.

The full dataset reveals that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K. At Low settings, the difference between 1080p and 1440p is 39 FPS, while the difference between 1440p and 4K is 38 FPS. At Ultra settings, the corresponding gaps are 18 FPS and 18 FPS respectively. This symmetric scaling suggests that the RX 6600's performance is constrained by both pixel throughput and memory bandwidth in roughly equal measure.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, part of the Core Ultra Series 2 with the Arrow Lake-S architecture on a 3 nm process node from TSMC, provides ample processing power for Lockdown Protocol. With 10 cores and 10 threads operating at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, this CPU delivers strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The 20 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache, along with 192 KB per-core L1 cache, ensure that game data is readily accessible without memory stalls.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 25891 in multi-core and 3655 in single-core tests. Passmark single-thread performance is 4412, with a multithread score of 30459. These numbers place the Core Ultra 5 225 at the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% delta), the Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2% delta), and the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37093 (-0.4% delta).

In the context of Lockdown Protocol, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS scaling with resolution follows a pattern typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where increasing pixel count has a direct impact on frame rate while CPU load remains relatively constant. The fact that 1080p Low produces 146 FPS suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU with frames well beyond the RX 6600's rendering capacity, meaning the graphics card is the bottleneck at all resolutions and settings tested.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient data throughput for gaming workloads. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU is not relevant for discrete GPU testing, but its presence does not interfere with the RX 6600's operation. The 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1851 compatibility indicate a mainstream desktop platform that pairs well with a mid-range graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2213 out of 2828 tested combinations in Lockdown Protocol. This places the combo in the 78th percentile of all tested systems, meaning approximately 78% of configurations outperform it in this specific game. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range status more than the CPU's capability, given that the Core Ultra 5 225 sits at the 85th percentile of all CPUs while the RX 6600 sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs.

The gap between the CPU's percentile rank and the combo's overall rank suggests that Lockdown Protocol is primarily GPU-limited for this pairing. If the game were more CPU-intensive, the combo would likely rank higher relative to systems with weaker processors and similar GPUs. The data shows that the RX 6600's performance tier is the determining factor in this ranking, and any CPU upgrade would yield minimal gains without a corresponding GPU upgrade.

In terms of raw benchmark scores, the CPU's average of 36938 is nearly double the GPU's average of 19036, but this comparison is not directly meaningful for gaming performance. The nearest GPU rivals, including the Quadro K6000 and RTX 4050 Mobile, all cluster within 0.4% of the RX 6600's score, indicating that this graphics card occupies a well-defined performance tier with little variation among competitors.

The combo's rank of 2213 out of 2828 means that 615 tested configurations fall below it. This places the system in the lower-middle range of the benchmark database, suitable for 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings and 1440p at medium settings, but not competitive at 4K beyond low quality presets. The measured results align with this assessment, showing that the strongest performance occurs at 1080p with lower settings, where the system can exceed 100 FPS consistently.